PERU – Emotions ran high Monday night as selectmen considered the bid proposal presented by project manager Dale Carlton on the town’s capital improvements projects

The town voted in March to approve a $400,000 bond for road improvements. Priorities had already been selected on several major projects.

Road Commissioner David Gammon said he favored having two contractors, one for gravel roads and one for tarred roads. Carlton presented a bid package to the board that calls for one contractor for the entire project. Selectman Bill Hine said the board favored one contractor because then it’s easy to determine who is accountable.

Dwayne Vaughn of Vaughn Trucking has worked with Gammon on the previous eight miles of gravel work in Peru, which he said has held up well.

“Why are you changing ships in the middle of the ocean if you are happy with what Gammon has done?” Vaughn asked. “You can’t go with an outside contractor and have the best interest of the town at heart. I pay taxes in Peru and I care about how the money is spent, but I can’t bid on this job because I don’t do tarred roads.”

Selectman Norman DeRoche said, “Why can’t you bid on the job. You can hire a paving contractor.”

Vaughn countered that such a move would cost the town more.

Selectman Rodney Jamison said, “You people, meaning Carlton and Gammon, need to get on the same page and stop the feuding.”

Carlton answered by saying, “I’ll do whatever the board wants. I don’t want David’s job. I’m retired.”

Carlton is retired from the state Department of Transportation.

The board agreed that Carlton was not replacing Gammon, but they do have issues over the way Gammon keeps his work sheets. Hine said to Gammon, “I asked you a year ago to document what roads you are working on and I don’t see that documentation. I would like to keep a record of how much time and money we have spent on individual roads and I can’t do that if I don’t know where you are doing work.”

The board eventually voted to accept a bid package that required one contractor.

In other matters, Hine wanted to know what a “view tax” was and why some lots on the pond got a 50 percent discount on assessment.

Assessor Bob Gingras said, “There is no view tax. Like property on the lake is all valued using the same chart.” He said the 50 percent discount goes to vacant lots that are buildable but have no water, sewer or driveway.

Warren Oldham asked why his 18-by-100-foot lot is assessed at $18,000 when he can’t build on it. Oldham no longer owns property across the road from the small lake front. Gingras said all small lots are valued the same, but most of the small areas on the lake have property that continues across the road.

Gingras said lake property is still under-assessed. He cited an example of lake property that sold recently for $700,000 but was assessed for $200,000. He cited several other cases and said by 2010 property will have to be reassessed.

He said the town tries to be consistent and look at market value.